We are dedicated to the pursuit of justice for those who have been wrongfully injured at no fault of their own. Whether you have been injured by a reckless driver, defective product or a doctor’s misdiagnosis, Gordon & Partners is committed to fighting for the MAXIMUM amount of compensation you deserve.

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Stuart Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

A spinal cord injury can have a devastating impact on a person’s health and ability to live a normal, functional life. However, if you or someone you love has suffered a spinal cord injury because of another’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering.

At Gordon & Partners, our dedicated personal injury law firm in Stuart has defended the rights of injury victims for more than two decades. As seasoned spinal cord injury lawyers in Stuart, we understand the life-changing difficulties that follow a debilitating accident.

Our spinal cord injury attorneys in Stuart will provide you with a free, no obligation consultation to review the circumstances behind your claim. As accomplished attorneys, we have recovered millions in verdicts and settlements for our clients and strive to reach the fairest outcome for each case we represent. Our firm’s founding member Robert Gordon has defended personal injury victims for more than three decades and is a past president of the Palm Beach County Justice Association. We provide all of our services on a contingency fee basis, which means the only time you have to pay us is if we recover compensation for your claim. There is no risk in contacting us to find out if you have a case.

Why Should I Work with a Stuart Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer?

It is nearly impossible to compare the devastating effects of a spinal cord injury to any other type of medical condition. Victims often suffer permanent disabilities that can prevent them from performing the most basic functions.

Faced with the adverse health effects of suffering from a spinal cord injury, many people feel overwhelmed after being involved in an accident. This stress can deter many people away from seeking legal representation for their personal injury claim. However, there are several benefits to consulting with a skilled spinal cord injury attorney to assist you with your claim.

Handling Insurance Companies

If you were injured in an accident caused by another’s negligence, you will likely be contacted by the at-fault party’s insurance company to discuss your claim.

It is important that you understand an insurance company’s motives are focused on saving itself money. Typically, an insurer will provide a victim with an initial offer with the hopes that he or she will quickly accept it. However, this offer is usually much lower than what a victim deserves and hardly reflects his or her pain and suffering.

Additionally, an insurance company may try to use deceitful tactics to reduce the amount of compensation it owes a victim or deny the claim altogether. This is usually achieved by making the victim appear to be as equally responsible as the at-fault party for causing his or her own injuries.

Our Stuart spinal cord injury attorneys are skilled negotiators who have helped numerous clients reach fair settlements with insurers. We know how to work with insurance companies and will handle all communications with the attorney or insurer representing the at-fault party.

Building a Case

If we determine the at-fault party is liable for your spinal cord injury, we will relentlessly investigate the accident to help build a credible case that supports your claim.

We will thoroughly review all aspects of your accident to find evidence that proves the at-fault party acted negligently and deserves to be held liable for your pain and suffering. Our Stuart spinal cord injury lawyers will:

Consult with health care practitioners, including physicians, orthopedic doctors and neurosurgeons who can testify that your spinal cord injury occurred during the accident

Helping You Meet the Statute of Limitations

In Florida, you only have a four-year statute of limitations to file a personal injury lawsuit against the person or entity at fault for your spinal cord injury, according to Fl. Stat. § 95.11(3)(h).

If you fail to meet this deadline, you will lose the right to pursue compensation. For this reason, it is imperative that you contact an attorney to discuss your claim as soon as possible. Our Stuart spinal cord injury lawyers know the statute of limitations that applies to your case and will work to ensure you meet this important deadline.

Working For You on a Contingency Fee

One of the biggest drawbacks people have to hiring an attorney is the cost. However, at Gordon & Partners, our spinal cord injury lawyers in Stuart work only on a contingency fee basis. This means we never charge upfront legal fees for our services.

The only time we require payment is if we reach a fair outcome for your claim. If you do not receive compensation, you do not owe us any fees. There is no risk to calling us to find out how we can help you or your loved one.

Symptoms of a Spinal Cord Injury

If you believe you have suffered spinal damage after being involved in an accident, you should immediately seek medical attention. Often, spinal cord injuries are diagnosed when a patient is unresponsive during a medical examination after an accident.

The initial signs and symptoms of a spinal cord injury can include:

Extreme pain or pressure in the neck, head or back

Tingling, numbness or loss of sensation in the hand, fingers, feet or toes

Partial or complete loss of control over any part or area of the body

Difficulty controlling urinary or bowel movements

Irregular breathing after being injured

Trouble balancing and walking

Unusual lumps on the head or spine

Pain and pressure in the thorax (chest area)

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

The severity of a spinal cord injury depends on two things: the location of the injury along the spine and the severity of the damage inflicted to the spinal cord.

Typically, a spinal cord injury will have a more devastating impact the higher the injury is on the vertebral column or the closer it is to the brain. This can have a severe impact on a victim’s motor functions, coordination, body movements and his or her senses. There are two types of paralysis that can be caused by a spinal cord injury:

Tetraplegia (quadriplegia): This type of paralysis results from injuries to the spinal cord in the neck (cervical) region. Victims often suffer loss of muscle strength and movement in the arms, legs and pelvic region.

Paraplegia: This results from injuries to the lower regions of the spinal cord, including the thoracic or lumbar areas. This often causes paralysis of the legs and lower part of the body.

Additionally, the severity of a spinal cord injury is categorized by “the completeness” of paralysis caused to the body. This is referred to as a “complete” or “incomplete” spinal cord injury.

Complete Spinal Cord Injury

A complete spinal cord injury is considered to be a total loss of all motor and sensory function below the level of the spinal injury. Both sides of the body are equally affected.

Nearly half of all spinal cord injuries are complete, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Many complete spinal cord injuries are caused by a contusion or bruise to the spinal cord or by a redistribution of blood flow to the damaged part of the spinal cord.

Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

When a person suffers an incomplete spinal cord injury, he or she still retains some level of function below the location of the spinal damage.

A person who suffers an incomplete spinal cord injury may still be able to move one arm or leg or have more control over one side of the body than the other. There are several categorizations of an incomplete spinal cord injury:

Anterior cord syndrome: This results from an injury to the motor and sensory pathways in the anterior parts of the spinal cord. Patients are often left with only some type of crude sensation, but cannot move or feel detailed sensation.

Central cord syndrome: This condition typically results from trauma and is associated with damage to the large nerve fibers that carry information directly from the cerebral cortex to the spinal cord. Symptoms can include paralysis and/or loss of movement in the arms, hands and legs.

Brown-Séquard syndrome: This rare disorder is caused by damage to one side of the spinal cord, usually in the neck or back region. This often results from a puncture wound to the neck or in the back that damages the spine.

Causes of a Spinal Cord Injury

A spinal cord injury is usually the result of damage to the vertebrae, ligaments or disks of the spinal column or the spinal cord. This often occurs when the spine has been subjected to intense trauma, such as a sudden blow to the spine that fractures, dislocates, crushes or compresses the vertebrae.

According to the World Health Organization, between 200,000 and 250,000 people suffer a spinal cord injury each year. Unfortunately, many spinal cord injuries are the result of preventable accidents. Examples of events that may cause spinal cord damage include:

Motor vehicle accidents

Falls

Acts of violence

Sports and recreation injuries

Alcohol

Diseases

If you suffered spinal damage because of another’s negligence, our Stuart spinal cord injury lawyers will work with you to obtain the compensation you need to recover.

Compensation for a Spinal Cord Injury Claim

A spinal cord injury is a serious, debilitating medical condition that can leave a person with limited mobility and stripped of his or her independence. Because of the severe effects of a spinal cord injury, victims and their families may be entitled to compensation for their financial losses and pain and suffering.

Unfortunately, treating and living with a spinal cord injury is expensive. The average yearly cost and estimated lifetime costs attributed to a spinal cord injury can vary depending on several factor. However, the cost of a spinal cord injury can exceed more than $1 million in the first year alone, according to the Christopher Reeves Foundation.

As seasoned spinal cord injury lawyers in Stuart, we are prepared to help victims handle a variety of claims to recover the money they need to recover from their injuries. During your free consultation, we will review your claim and the circumstances behind your injury to determine if you may be entitled to two types of compensation: economic damages or non-economic damages.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are compensation for the financial losses you suffered after an accident. In the case of a spinal cord injury, this can include:

Past and future medical expenses

Lost wages

Loss of earning capacity

Rehabilitation treatment

Surgery

Medical assistive devices

Permanent caregiver

Adjustments to your home and vehicle

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages provide compensation for the intangible losses you suffered after the accident that do not have economic value. This includes compensation for:

Pain and suffering

Loss of enjoyment of life

Disability or disfigurement

Loss of reputation

Loss of companionship

However, non-economic damages are not compensable through an insurance claim and can only be obtained by filing a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party. Our Stuart spinal cord injury attorneys will thoroughly review your claim to determine if at-fault party’s negligence enables you to file a lawsuit for non-economic damages.

Florida’s Comparative Negligence Law

In Florida, the amount of compensation you may be entitled to recover is determined by using the standard of comparative negligence. Under this rule, the amount of compensation you are allowed to recover is limited to the level of negligence you are found to be at fault for.

For example, if you suffer spinal damage in a car accident, but the court finds that your actions are 20 percent negligent, the value of your claim will be reduced by 20 percent. If you filed a claim for $100,000, it would be reduced to $80,000.

If you are found to be partially at fault for your injury, a skilled spinal cord injury lawyer in Stuart will work to ensure your claim is accurately and fairly represented.

Contact a Skilled Stuart Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

A spinal cord injury is one of the most debilitating and devastating medical conditions a person can suffer. However, if you or someone you love suffered spinal cord injury because of another’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation.

At Gordon & Partners, our Stuart spinal cord injury attorneys are dedicated to helping victims obtain the justice and financial relief they deserve. We will work with you to hold the at-fault party liable and reach an outcome that compensates you for the pain and suffering you have endured.

During your free, no obligation consultation, we will review your claim to determine the legal options that may be available to you. If we determine you injury was caused by another’s negligence, we will pursue any means available to help you reach an outcome that compensates you for the pain and suffering you have endured. Our Stuart spinal cord injury lawyers work only on a contingency fee basis and will not charge you upfront for our services. We only require payment if we recover compensation for your claim.